MakeHuman 1.2 ships | Greenscreen

MakeHuman 1.2 ships

Monday, November 23, 2020 | Written by Jim Thacker

The team behind MakeHuman has officially released version 1.2 of the open source character creation software: the first major update in over four years.

The version adds a new MakeSkin tool for advanced materials, updates the existing MakeClothes and MakeTarget tools, and adds a new mass production system for generating random characters.

Blender users get the new Makehuman plug-in for Blender (MPFB), which connects the two applications and allows characters to be transferred directly without having to save an external file.

In addition, the Makehuman code base has been revised to use current versions of Python and Qt.

Create custom characters for use in commercial projects
With MakeHuman, users can generate characters with custom age, physique, gender, and ethnicity, as well as clothing, and export them to Blender or standard 3D file formats such as FBX, OBJ, and Collada.

The resulting networks are optimized for subdivision and the content is licensed under a CC0 license, which means that it can be used commercially, including in closed source games.

New in MakeHuman 1.2: New MakeSkin tool and updates for MakeClothes and MakeTarget
New features in MakeHuman 1.2 include MakeSkin, a new tool for creating more advanced skin materials for 3D characters, shown in the video above in the story.

In addition, the old MakeClothes and MakeTarget tools, which were previously part of the associated Blender tools, have been rewritten from scratch as stand-alone projects.

Users can now also download third-party assets created by the MakeHuman user community right in the software.

Mass Produce generates character variations for crowd scenes
Make Human 1.2 also integrates Mass Produce, a new system for generating a large number of character variations that was originally developed as a separate plugin.

Users can set up rules to generate variants of a character, e.g. B. to generate fonts for crowd animation, including variant body parts, expressions and clothing.

The new MHPB plug-in creates a direct connection to Blender
Blender users get a new integration plugin: Makehuman Plugin for Blender (MHPB).

It creates a link between the two applications so characters can be transferred directly instead of having to save and load them as external files. The transmission is described as "almost instantaneous".

The plugin supports all MakeHuman networks including the character's body, hair and clothing, and supports "enhanced skin features like skin pores and SSS".

Other new features and performance improvements
Under the hood, MakeHuman – previously written for the now outdated Python 2.7 and Qt 4.0 – has been updated to use the latest versions of the programming language and interface toolkit.

Plugins are now activated at runtime and executed in the user area.

Workflow improvements include updates to asset labeling and sorting, and the option to save model thumbnails directly from the internal render engine. A full list can be found via the links below.

System requirements
MakeHuman 1.2 is available free of charge for Windows and Linux. At the time of writing, the latest macOS build is 1.1. The Makehuman plug-in for Blender (MPFB) is compatible with Blender 2.83+.

If you find the software useful, you can support its development on Patreon.

For a full list of what's new in MakeHuman 1.2, see the software's wiki

Read the developer’s new FAQ on the license terms for assets created in MakeHuman

Download MakeHuman

Tags: Blender, BVH, CC0 License, Character Creator, Character Generator, Collada, Commercial Use, Create Custom 3D Characters, Direct Link, Facial Expression, FBX, Free, Generate Character Variations, Generate Character Variants, MakeClothes, MakeHuman, MakeHuman 1.2, MakeHuman Plugin for Blender, MakeSkin, MakeTarget, Mass Production, MHPB, New Features, OBJ, Open Source, Posing, Python, Qt, Skeleton, Skin Material, Skin Structure, SSS, Subsurface Scattering, System Requirements, Topology